October Bloom Day With Spots

We'll start Garden Bloggers Bloom Day with the show stopper, a Dendranthema by genus, formerly and still commonly known as a Chrysanthemum and called Sheffie by its mom, Frances at Fairegarden.

I've noticed an unusual number of cars slowing down as they pass my driveway and the roadside vegetable garden of late. Someone even pulled into my driveway, saw me and left. Has the solid, round, light pink mum caught their attention? It is leaf peeper season. There are likely to be folks on the road who haven't been this way before or in a long time and this mum is pretty dramatic.



There are other thing up here that might grab their attention. The Miscanthus in the same bed as the Sheffie is blooming too. This is also the first sunny open spot in the forest for several miles where there is the chance to have a close up view of the fall color.

We certainly can't forget Uncle Ernie. I bet he gets a fair amount of attention. The ancient hearth is also another thing people stop for. It actually has a geocache tucked in it. People locate the cache and sign in that they have found it, both at the cache and online. When I first found it I was a bit concerned about folks tramping all over the property, but they have been very respectful and haven't caused any trouble, so the geocache is left there. This cache is called "Nice Hearth, Nobody Home."



The little Knockout Roses keep on blooming. They haven't gained much in size, but look quite healthy and have been putting out flowers since I planted them. Hopefully they have been putting some energy into a deep root system.



Madame Stappers, the Red Dahlia that hails from San Francisco is looking good too. She does get a little pouty when it doesn't rain, but I haven't coddled her. Only when she looked desperate did I give her a drink. As a proper mulched bed grows around Madame Stappers, being thirsty should be less of a problem.



These bright red spots along the resident gardeners drive caught my eye. This is the seed head of the Arisaema triphyllum, Jack in the Pulpit. They's bunches of them all over the place. It's the middle of October, time to start preparing mentally for the Bloom days ahead when it will be necessary to get inventive.



Down at the cozy cabin things are getting closer to the application of the last pieces of the roof. Details, details. The tar paper and house wrap is on, but the roof trim where the living room roof meets the lower side loft wall had to be attended to. Tiny pieces of 1x8, 1x4, plywood, and eave flashing all have to make a ninety degree turn and butt to the wall before the metal roof goes on.

Then for the second afternoon in a row thousands and thousands of tiny red flying spots descended on the cozy cabin.



A veritable onslaught of ladybugs is checking out the cozy cabin for a winter roost.



They land on everything, my glasses, my clothes. Then they crawl inside my clothes. They are on the cabin, in the cabin, crawling into every tiny crevice they can find. They are going to be real disappointed when they find out there won't be any heat provided this winter.



I decided to wait until spring to divide the Miscanthus again when I saw that they were about to bloom. I wanted to see what the flower stalks were like. From one pot in one year I have five nice plants. Next spring I should be able to make five more.



Did I mention the ocean of blue asters on this mountain for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day?



It may be October, but there is something blooming on this planet everyday of the year. Carol is the goddess of Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens and she will lead you to a world of blooms.

The setting Hunter's Moon over a gilded mountain started the day.



And that is how my day began, with a visible spot.